CHAPTER 2.

CHAPTER 2

  “AnniBerry,” a soft, friendly voice called.

  She slowly opened her eyes and blinked twice before they flew open in shock. Turning her head, she looked around the unfamiliar room until her gaze landed on the IV drip attached to the back of her hand.

 Startled, AnniBerry sat upright.

  “Where am I?” she asked, her voice trembling with confusion.

  Then a terrifying thought struck her. Panic flooded her face as she hurriedly tried to pull the IV from her hand.

  “Merrilyn! Merrilyn!” she cried in fear.

 “Calm down. Everything is under control.”

 A dark skinned, tall, slender woman dressed in a white nurse's uniform gently held AnniBerry by the shoulders. A reassuring smile rested on her face.

  “Your friend is fine,” the nurse said calmly.

  “I want to see her! I want to see her!” AnniBerry screamed, remembering the horrifying scene she had witnessed before losing consciousness.

  Ignoring the nurse's protests, she ripped the IV from her hand, jumped out of bed, and dashed out of the room.

  “Miss AnniBerry!” the nurse called as she hurried after her.

  AnniBerry finally stopped in the middle of what appeared to be the hospital reception area. She looked around in confusion.

  How did I get here? she wondered.

  “Where is Merrilyn?” she shouted at the top of her voice.

  The nurse caught up with her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “Miss AnniBerry, please calm down. You need to rest. Your blood pressure is a little high.”

  AnniBerry turned to face the nurse. Her eyes were bloodshot, and fear was written all over her face.

  “Where is Merrilyn?” she asked again, this time in a sharper, more demanding tone.

  “You were brought here alone,” the nurse replied.

  Confusion quickly turned into anger.

  “What do you mean I was brought here alone?” she demanded. “Who brought me here?”

  “You were brought here by Mr. Anthony Marchen,” the nurse answered.

  AnniBerry stared at her in surprise.

  “And who would that be?” she asked with a frown.

  “Me.”

  A deep, commanding masculine voice echoed behind her.

 She turned around.

  Standing a few feet away was a tall, chocolate skinned man with neatly trimmed beards framing his handsome face. His hair was styled in well defined waves, and he wore a perfectly tailored black suit with neatly pressed trousers and polished black shoes. The top button of his dress shirt was undone, revealing part of his well toned chest. For a brief moment, AnniBerry found herself admiring how incredibly handsome he looked.

  She quickly snapped herself back to reality. Merrilyn was far more important.

  Marchen stepped between the nurse and AnniBerry.

  “You must be AnniBerry,” he said calmly. “The lady whose bike almost damaged my car.”

  AnniBerry looked up at him. He towered over her, making her feel unusually small. Words refused to leave her lips as she stared at him expressionlessly.

  “I am Marchen,” he introduced himself, extending his hand for a handshake.

 AnniBerry glanced at his outstretched hand but ignored it completely.

  “You brought me here alone? Do you know anything about my cousin? She was involved in the accident,” she asked, her curiosity outweighing every other emotion.

  Marchen slowly withdrew his hand and slipped both hands into his pockets before giving a faint smile.

  “You mean the lady who was riding your bike and almost damaged my car?” he asked, looking down at her.

  AnniBerry was stunned.

  How does he know who Merrilyn is? How does he know it was my bike? Who told him all that? she wondered.

  “And how do you know that, Mr...?” she asked, clearly surprised.

  “Can we talk outside for a moment?” Marchen asked.

  After a brief hesitation, she nodded.

  Together, they left the nurse at the reception.

  Marchen led AnniBerry to a sleek blue Tesla parked outside the hospital. Leaning casually against the bonnet, he folded his arms across his chest before looking at her.

  “Your cousin is fine,” he said.

  “Where is she?” AnniBerry asked anxiously.

  Marchen remained silent for a moment. He wasn't ready to tell her everything that had happened.

  “Well, she was taken to a hospital in Ohio because she suffered a severe leg injury,” he said emotionlessly.

 AnniBerry was stunned. She couldn't speak. She simply stared at the ground, pain filling her eyes.

  “Why? Why Ohio? Does that mean there isn't a single hospital in the whole of Florida that can treat her? Which hospital was she taken to? Does my aunt already know?” she asked, firing one question after another, her voice trembling with fear.

  Marchen looked at her without a trace of emotion. He didn't know how to answer her, but he was fully aware that Merrilyn's family had already been informed about the accident.

  “You should go home and get some rest. Then you can call your aunt to find out how she's doing,” Marchen said.

  AnniBerry stood there motionless, consumed by regret. She wished she had never agreed to that bike ride. She wished she had said no and stood by her decision. But she hadn't. She had been excited for no reason, and now a day that was meant to be a celebration had turned into a nightmare. Her heart ached with unbearable guilt.

  As she glanced to her left, she noticed a small stone on the ground. Whenever she was overwhelmed by pain, she had a habit of throwing stones. Somehow, it helped her calm herself.

  She bent down, picked up the stone, and without thinking or looking where she was aiming, threw it as hard as she could.

  The stone struck the already cracked windshield of Marchen's car. With a loud crash, the remaining glass shattered completely.

 Marchen stared at the broken windshield before turning to AnniBerry in disbelief.

  “What just happened?” he exclaimed.

  AnniBerry immediately collapsed onto the ground and let out a heart wrenching scream.

  “Wake up, Anni! This is all a dream!”

  “No, it isn't a dream. You just broke my windshield,” Marchen replied angrily.

  He walked over to inspect the damage. After examining the shattered glass, he stepped back out of the car and looked at AnniBerry, who was still sitting on the ground looking miserable. His anger slowly faded, replaced by sympathy. He was about to tell her to go home when she spoke first.

  “I'll pay for the windshield,” she said. “Just tell me how much it will cost.”

  Marchen smiled, his eyes gleaming with amusement. He wondered how she intended to repay him, knowing she made a living selling pancakes at the little shop her parents had left behind before they passed away.

  He slipped one hand into his pocket and wore a bright yet dangerous smile.

  “You'll pay when the time is right. For now, go home and call your family,” he said before turning to leave.

  “Wait!”

 Marchen stopped.

  AnniBerry had just realized that her phone was gone. Not only her phone, but her handbag, purse, bank cards, money everything had disappeared.

  “I can't find any of my belongings.”

  Marchen turned to face her and gave her a stern look.

  “You must have lost them in the accident. Where do you live?”

  AnniBerry let out a long sigh of frustration. She couldn't believe that what was supposed to be a joyful celebration had become the worst day of her life.

  She was about to tell him where she lived, but she hesitated.

 What if he can't be trusted? she thought.

  Instead of asking him to take her home, she decided it would be safer to ask for transport fare. She needed to get home as quickly as possible so she could call Merrilyn's parents, tell them everything that had happened, and confirm whether Merrilyn had truly been taken to Ohio for treatment.

  “Could you lend me a few dollars?” she asked cautiously. “I'll pay you back everything I owe by next week.”

  Marchen, who was eager to leave, walked to his car, took out his wallet, and returned with three hundred dollars. He handed the money to AnniBerry.

 “Just remember to pay me back,” he said with a devilish smile.

  Without another word, he got into his car and drove away.

 As soon as he was gone, AnniBerry hurried out of the hospital and flagged down a taxi home.